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Afternoon Edition

June 20, 2025

The Dodgers became a juggernaut under Mark Walter. What can we learn from that franchise’s choices about a potential Lakers blueprint under Walter?

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

How Mark Walter’s Dodgers Playbook Could Rewrite Lakers’ Future [[link removed]]

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers owner Mark Walter has maintained a low profile [[link removed]] in his 13-plus years in pro sports, but has used his wallet and vision aggressively to transform the MLB club into a global power, while also moving into several sports. A similar playbook is likely to unfold as he looks to take over the Lakers in a record-setting deal valuing that team at $10 billion [[link removed]].

When Walter and his partners took over the Dodgers in 2012, the club was reeling in many respects. Walter’s Guggenheim Baseball Management bought the Dodgers out of bankruptcy, with the club financially ravaged by former owners Frank and Jamie McCourt. Competitively, it wasn’t much better, with Walter taking over in the midst of what would be a third straight season out of the playoffs.

Since then, Walter’s transformative tenure leading the Dodgers has included:

Eleven division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series titles, including in 2024 [[link removed]] A series of large-scale upgrades to Dodger Stadium, including a new round of work costing about $100 million [[link removed]], to preserve the 63-year-old facility as one of MLB’s preeminent ballparks MLB-leading attendance totals [[link removed]] each year, with the exception of the 2020 campaign, which was heavily altered by the COVID-19 pandemic League-record spending on players [[link removed]], led in part by the $700 million free-agent pact [[link removed]] for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani [[link removed]] that has helped make the Dodgers an international phenomenon [[link removed]] Competitive envy among other MLB clubs [[link removed]], even among the Mets, who beat the Ohtani deal with a $765 million pact for Juan Soto

Like his dramatic move to gain majority control of the Lakers, Walter forcefully upended the auction for the Dodgers with an unexpected $2.15 billion bid that more than doubled the prior high price for an MLB franchise sale.

Heightened Restrictions

Much of that outlay has been supported by a 25-year local media-rights deal with Spectrum signed in early 2013 and worth more than $8 billion, marking one of Walter’s first major moves leading the Dodgers. The Lakers, conversely, already have their local rights settled, and are more than halfway through a 20-year, $3 billion pact with Spectrum that began in 2012 and leads all NBA teams.

The NBA salary cap, meanwhile, contains much more stringent controls on team spending and penalties for overages compared to the multi-tiered luxury tax in MLB. Deferred money that also has been central to Walter’s payroll strategy with the Dodgers will be more muted in basketball as salary-cap hits in the NBA do not defer.

So Walter’s outsized impact on the Dodgers contains numerous important clues about what might happen with the Lakers, also looking to rebound after two straight exits in the first round of the playoffs, but not a complete blueprint.

“I think he does everything he can to provide resources, support. He wants to win,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, with Walter and the team since 2016, after news of the Lakers deal broke. “He feels that the fans, the city, deserve that. I think that’s never [been] lost. It’s more challenging us always to, ‘How do we become better and not get complacent or stagnant?’”

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS HONORS

Last Chance to Submit Your Nomination

Inclusive of the Rising 25 and Most Innovative awards, Front Office Sports Honors [[link removed]] showcases the individuals and organizations reshaping the business of sports.

Now in its ninth year, the Rising 25 Award [[link removed]] celebrates the brightest young stars in the business of sports and has become one of the most competitive and prestigious awards in the industry.

In partnership with Sports Innovation Lab, the Most Innovative awards spotlight the trailblazing organizations redefining the sports industry through creativity and progress—from venues and athletic departments to brands, leagues, teams, and more. See the full slate of award categories here [[link removed]].

There are only a few days remaining to nominate. Submit now [[link removed]].

Hockey’s Best Player Enters Contract Year Noncommittal About Future [[link removed]]

David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Already reeling from another disappointing loss in the Stanley Cup Final, there is heightened anxiety in Edmonton as superstar center Connor McDavid is now entering a period of contract uncertainty.

The 28-year-old McDavid is eligible to sign an extension on July 1, but if he doesn’t do so, he will enter the final season of an eight-year, $100 million deal signed in 2017.

Speaking the day after the Panthers defeated the Oilers to clinch a second-straight Stanley Cup [[link removed]] championship, McDavid was understandably noncommittal about his plans, as emotions were still raw, but he clearly put the Oilers on notice.

“Winning is the most important thing. If I feel there’s a good window to win here over and over again, then signing is no problem,” McDavid said. “We’re all in this together, trying to get it over that finish line. With that being said, ultimately, I still need to do what’s best for me and my family and that’s who I have to take care of first, but of course, there is still unfinished business here, yeah.”

McDavid’s comments were much like any other star player approaching a contract crossroads, particularly right after a playoff loss. Teammate Leon Draisaitl, in particular, said similar things a year ago before signing an eight-year, $112 million extension.

The 28-year-old McDavid, however, is a three-time NHL Most Valuable Player, continues to be regarded as the league’s best talent, and the lack of a Stanley Cup title is the last big piece undone in a legacy as one of hockey’s greatest players ever [[link removed]]. His refusal to say something along the lines of wanting to be an Oiler for life “sent chills up the spines of an entire city,” the Edmonton Journal said [[link removed]].

“There’s nothing I can tell you right now that you want to hear or need to hear,” Draisaitl said about McDavid’s contract. “That’s his situation and he will do what’s best for him and his family. Do I want him here forever? Yes, of course, I think everybody does. But there’s not much I can give you there.”

Cap Matters

Aiding a new deal for McDavid, in Edmonton or anywhere else, will be sharply increased salary caps coming to the league [[link removed]].

Fueled heavily by recent boosts in attendance, media rights, and overall revenue, the NHL’s salary cap will rise from $88 million per team this season to $95.5 million in the upcoming one, and then a projected $104 million in 2026–27 and $113.5 million in 2027–28.

McDavid, like any other player, can sign for as much as 20% of a team’s salary cap, putting his potential future salary at more than $20 million in future years, a sharp jump from his current, $12.5 million annual average.

Ratings Woes

The Stanley Cup Final, meanwhile, finished on a largely downbeat note in viewership on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. In the U.S., viewership for the six-game series averaged 2.5 million viewers on TNT Sports, down 40% from last year’s Final and down 4% from two years ago, when the network last carried the event.

In Canada, Sportsnet, CBC, and the French-language TVA combined to average 3.9 million viewers, down 15% from last year, but up 82% from 2023.

The weaker results, certainly impaired by the lack of a deciding Game 7 series in the series, also arrived despite plenty of on-ice drama [[link removed]].

EXCLUSIVE

LeBron’s Growing Amazon Ties Could Lead to Prime Role

The growing business relationship between LeBron James and Amazon could lead to James eventually joining Prime Video’s upcoming coverage of the NBA, sources tell Front Office Sports. You can read Michael McCarthy’s full story on the relationship between King James and America’s biggest retailer here [[link removed]].

For all of our sports media news and analysis, you can subscribe to the twice-weekly “Tuned In” newsletter [[link removed]].

Summer Soccer Fatigue? USMNT, Messi’s Inter Miami Draw Sparse Crowds [[link removed]]

Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

One year ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, the overloaded summer of soccer in the U.S. is struggling to gain fans’ attention.

On Thursday night, two teams that should have no problem at all filling up the country’s biggest stadiums played in front of half-empty venues.

As the U.S. men’s national team defeated Saudi Arabia 1–0 to clinch a spot in the Concacaf Gold Cup knockout round, a meager 11,727 fans turned out to Q2 Stadium. The MLS venue has a capacity of 20,500, and almost always sells out for Austin FC games.

In Atlanta, Inter Miami drew a crowd of just 31,783 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as Lionel Messi’s second-half goal was the deciding factor in a 2–1 victory over Portugal’s FC Porto in the group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup. Previously, Messi’s presence helped draw crowds of more than 70,000 to the NFL and MLS stadium when Inter Miami visited Atlanta United.

Too Much Soccer?

Both tournaments have dealt with their share of complications as they’ve gotten underway this month.

Ahead of the USMNT’s opening Gold Cup match, head coach Mauricio Pochettino took a shot [[link removed]] at the team’s biggest star, Christian Pulisic, who was not permitted to play in two recent friendlies after opting not to play in the tournament. One source inside U.S. Soccer previously told Front Office Sports that the organization isn’t treating the Gold Cup with a lot of promotional urgency [[link removed]].

Meanwhile, the Club World Cup started with some fanfare [[link removed]] around its opening matches, but saw attendance numbers drop [[link removed]] once weekday matches started earlier this week. The prize money for the tournament is a whopping $1 billion [[link removed]], when including participation bonuses, which is why FIFA has been able to draw many clubs’ top stars.

SPONSORED BY TISSOT

Inside the Watch Club

Think you’ve seen a cool buzzer-beater? Try reliving it … from inside a watch box. This will be the third season where Tissot [[link removed]], the official timekeeper of the NBA, is giving out watches to those who hit last-second shots this season, solidifying their place in the “ Buzzer Beater Club [[link removed]].” Many of these players are household names and future Hall of Famers. But the real star? The packaging. Inside the box is a screen replaying the exact moment the buzzer sounded. [[link removed]]

Derryl Barnes gives an inside look at the box and watch itself. Check out the video here. [[link removed]]

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY What Walter Does for NBA's Biggest Franchise

FOS illustration

The Lakers have new ownership incoming and a valuation of $10 billion. How will it affect team operations going forward, and what does this record valuation mean for the rest of the league and sports world at large? FOS deals reporter Ben Horney joins Baker Machado and Renee Washington to explain.

Plus, the Finals have struggled from a ratings perspective, but if previous trends hold, Game 7 on Sunday could bring the boom that the league needs.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Push

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Masters ⬆ Delta will add new flights from Los Angeles, Nashville, and Newark to Augusta Regional Airport during the 2026 tournament. That will increase the commercial airline’s daily seat capacity into town from 1,200 to 3,800 on peak days. In April, Augusta was overwhelmed with the influx of private jets flying in—to the point that many fans had to fly into neighboring cities [[link removed]].

Flag football ⬆ The first African Flag Football Championship kicked off Friday in Egypt [[link removed]]. The groundbreaking move comes as the International Federation of American Football is partnering with the NFL on flag football’s Olympic debut [[link removed]] at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Winnipeg Jets ⬆The NHL team verbally agreed to a one-year contract with former Blackhawks star Jonathan Toews in advance of the July 1 start of free agency. The Jets have faced attendance questions [[link removed]] and were bounced out of the second round of the recent playoffs despite winning the Presidents’ Trophy, but landed the Winnipeg native. Toews helped lead the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups but has missed the last two seasons with injuries.

Braves ⬆⬇ President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said the club will not be sellers at the upcoming July 31 trade deadline, despite a highly disappointing 34–39 season so far. Anthopoulos particularly sought to shut down speculation that he will deal defending Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale, despite heavy demand around the league for front-line starting pitching. “I’ve seen the speculation. It’s completely ridiculous to me,” he told WCNN-Radio. “Will. Not. Happen. Bold it. Italicize it. Caps. So much so that I’m trying to make a trade now— it’s very hard to make a trade in June [[link removed]]—just to signal to everybody that we will not sell.” Despite the subpar record so far, the Braves remain five and a half games out of the final National League wild-card slot. FanGraphs gives them a 40.4% chance [[link removed]] of reaching the playoffs.

Editors’ Picks Pac-12 Still Playing Conference Tetris As Realignment Heats Up [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]Sacramento State is leaving the Big Sky for the Big West. Ace Bailey Cancels Sixers Workout a Week Before NBA Draft [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The former Rutgers star is a projected top-three pick in Wednesday’s draft. Lakers’ $10B Valuation Is Historic, but Not Surprising. What Happens Next? [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]Details about the deal’s structure and the team’s future are scarce. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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